Fikret Hakan, whose real name was Bumin Gaffar Çıtanak, was born on April 23, 1934 in Balıkesir. His father was literature teacher and translator Abdullah Gaffar Güney, and his mother was nurse Fatma Belkıs Hanım. Due to his father's profession, Hakan spent his childhood in various cities of Anatolia, and thanks to the rich library at home and his father's translations from Russian, he developed a love for reading and writing at an early age.
Hakan, whose interest in cinema began with the films he watched in Anatolia, decided to become an actor in those years. After moving to Istanbul with his family in middle school, he worked as a reporter for the Istanbul Ekspres newspaper while studying at Taksim Atatürk High School.
A career spanning from stage to the silver screen
Hakan, who stepped into professional acting with the "Üç Güvercin Opereti" staged at Ses Theatre in 1950, described those days as follows: "I started with a daily wage of 1 lira. At around 16, in a tender age between childhood and youth, I took roles in plays like 'Üç Güvercin', 'Leblebici Horhor' and 'Afrodit'. Thus, I began to open the path to Yeşilçam through theatre."
The artist, who stated that he transitioned to cinema with the film "Köprüaltı Çocukları" in 1952, had said: "I received 250 lira, which was good money at the time. I did everything in cinema consciously; I didn't rely on good looks, I prioritized my mind and knowledge." Hakan often expressed that the 1955 film "Beyaz Mendil", directed by Lütfi Akad and written by Yaşar Kemal, was a turning point in his life, and he was grateful to those who gave him this opportunity.
The master actor, who appeared in hundreds of films throughout his career, achieved fame with productions like "Üç Arkadaş" and "Keşanlı Ali Destanı". In 1970, he gained international recognition by portraying the character "Colonel Elçi" in the Hollywood production "Paralı Askerler", directed by Peter Collinson and starring Tony Curtis and Charles Bronson. He became one of the first to break the "perfect gentleman" molds imposed by Yeşilçam and emphasize character acting.
Branching out into literature and directing
Fikret Hakan never severed his ties with literature alongside cinema; he wrote story books like "Tellak Ali" and "Hamal'ın Uşakları" as well as poetry books. He left a giant archive with his comprehensive work "Türk Sinema Tarihi" (History of Turkish Cinema), covering the years 1914-1996. He also took on directing and screenwriting for films such as "Sürgünden Geliyorum" and "Cennetin Kapısı".
The artist, who lived in Marmaris in the 1980s, delivered an unforgettable performance as the character "Çolak Salih" in the 1983 series "Küçük Ağa", adapted from Tarık Buğra's work. Hakan, who was awarded the title of State Artist in 1998, advised young filmmakers to "be curious": "You can expect nothing from a person who loses their curiosity; especially for us self-taught ones, you can't get anywhere without being curious."
Awards and farewell
Fikret Hakan, who won "Best Actor" awards at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival throughout his career and was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997, passed away on July 11, 2017 at the age of 83 and was buried in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery. He left behind a rich filmography and literary legacy spanning from "Köprüaltı Çocukları" to "Pembe İncili Kaftan", and from "Küçük Ağa" to "Yılanların Öcü".
